Continuous-combustion turbine.



Patented Apr. 29, I902.

No. 698,895. M. BECK.

CONTINUOUS COMBUSTION TURBINE.

(Application filed Oct. 6, 1900.).

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Paftented Apr. 29, I902. NI. BECK.

CONTINUOUS COMBUSTION TURBINE.

(Application filed Oct. 6, 1900.)

(No Model.)

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v No. 698,895. Patented Apr. 29, I902. M. BECK.

CONTINUOUS COMBUSTLON TURBINE.

(Application filed act. a, 1900.

4 Sheets-Sheet 3 (No Model.)

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MICHAEL BECK, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

CONTINUOUS-COMBUSTION TURBINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 698,895, dated April 29, 1902.

Application filed October 6,1900.

To (ZZZ whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, MICHAEL BECK, a citizen of the United States, residing'at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Continuous-Combustion Turbines; and I do hereby declare 'the following to be'a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled inthe art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My present invention has for its object to provide an explosive-engine in the nature of a turbine having high efficiency and adapted for various usessuch, for. instance, as for driving bicycles, automobiles, and launches.

To this end my invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described, and defined in the claims.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings,wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Figure 1 is a view, partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section, some parts being broken away and others being removed, showing myimproved turbine applied to drive one of the wheels of a bicycle or automobile. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section on the line x of Fig. 1, some parts being broken away. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 02 m of Fig. 2, some parts being broken away and others remove'd- Fig. 4 shows portions of a cooperating pair of propelling-plates or blade-wheels, said'members being shown as separated and turned faces up. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 4, shown as in parallel planes, but as separated. Fig. 6 is a detail in plan of one of the pump-pistons; and Fig. 7 is a detail in vertical section, taken through the spindle or axle of the'turbine, 'on the line no 00 of Fig. 2.

This rotary turbine is designed to ,be run by the burning or continuous explosion of a mixture of oil, such as gasolene, with water and air. In the illustration given the oil and water are contained, respectively, in the in-., ner and outer compartments land 2 of an elevated tank 3, which is suitably supported by means not shown. The tank 3 is provided with a needlewalve 5, which controls the discharge of oil and water from the respective Serial No. 32,229. (No model-l compartments 1 and 2. The head of said valve has a longitudinal passage 6 for the discharge of theoil, the upper end of which passage is closed when the needle-valve is screwed downward. The 'oil and water are dropped directly into or through the funnel-head 7 of a delivery-pipe 8, and the said funnel is provided with air-inlet passages 9 at various points.

The delivery-pipe 8 in the construction illustrated has prongs 8, which run to and connect with the opposite ends'of a non-rotary spindle 10, of tubular form, plugged at 11 inward of its ends. 1 At its central portion the spindle 10 is formed with an enlargement 12, which has a plurality of radial passages 13, that extend in the same plane 'at right angles to the axis of the spindle. Other passages 14 radiate obliquely from the central passage of the spindle 10 and open at the sides of the enlargement 12. ,A large sleeve or hub 15 is loosely mounted on the spindle 10 and the enlargement 12 thereof, the ends of the same serving as'cylinders in which reciprocating pump-pistons 16 are mounted to reciprocate, as presently described. The hub 15 is provided at its central portion with a pair of heavy disks or propelling-plates 17, that are spaced apart laterally to form an attenuated annular chamber 18, which is in constant communication with the radial passages 13, heretofore noted. An annular case or shell 19 is rotatively mounted, as shown, by ball-bearings 20 on the ends of'the spindle 10. At its periphery the rotary case 19 is formed with a large driving-sheave 21, which is adapted to frictionally. engage with the pneumatic tire 22 of a bicycle or automobile.

In the construction illustrated the means for attaching the device to a bicycle or automobile has been omitted, as the same forms no part of my present invention. However,

in Figs. 1 and 2 the delivery-tube 8' is shown as extended through a hollow fork 23, provided at the ends of its prongs with lugs 24, to which the spindle 10 is secured against ro tation, as shown, by means of bearing-cones 25 and clamping-nuts 26, applied at each end of the spindle.

The pump-pistons 16, already noted, are

mounted for sliding movement, as shown, by key and splined connections 27 on the nonrotary spindle 10, and they are provided with cam-grooves 28, with which cooperate campins 29, carried by the hub or cylinder-sleeve 15. Spring-held check-valves 30 control passages 31, extending through the piston 16. Spring-pressed check-valves 32, which are mounted on the spindle 10, close to its enlargement 12, coeperate with valve-seats 33, formed within the cylinder-hub 15.

In addition to the propelling-plates 17 the hub 15 carries other annular plates 34 and 35, the hubs of which are screw-threaded thereon and are adapted to be locked in their proper adjustment by lock-nuts 36.

The rotary case 19 is provided on each side of its center with annular propelling-plates 37 and 38, which are adapted to be adjusted laterally and secured wherever set by setscrews 39, which set-screws impinge upon the adjacent peripheral portions of said plates and are adapted to hold the same wherever set.

The propelling-plates 17, 34, 35, 37, and 38 are provided with ports or passages 40,through which the motive fluid will pass, as indicated by the several arrows marked on Fig. 2. 40' indicates exhaust-ports in the hub of the rotary case 19, and indicates admissionports in the spindle 10. The several propelling-plates 17, 34,35, 37, and 38 are formed with concentric V-shaped or outwardly-tapered ribs, which are cut obliquely, as best indicated in Figs. 4 and 5, to form annularlyarranged series of V-shaped or pointed propelling-blades 41. In Fig. 2 the ribs from which the propelling-blades are out are shown in solid section for the purpose of clearness, and in Figs. 4 and 5 the said propellingblades are shown as out only for a short distance. It will, however, be understood, of course, that these propelling-blades will be out completely around the said flanges. It will also be understood that the cooperating blades of adjacent propelling-plates are in clined in reverse directions.

With the V-shaped or pointed propellingblades arranged as above described adjustments to compensate for wear or forother reasons may be made between the running edges of the said blades by laterally adjusting the propelling-plates. In other words, the clearance between the propelling-blades of the propelling-plates may be varied at will.

As an igniter I provide a pair of electrodes 42, which are passed axially through the spindle 10 and terminate in close proximity at the junction of the several radial passages 13. These electrodes 42 are by wires 43 connected in anelectric circuit involving, usually, the secondary of an induction-coil and a key or device for making and breaking the circuit to produce a spark between the electrode whenever desired in a manner well understood and not necessary for the purposes of this case to illustrate.

The operation will be substantially as follows: The water and oil dropping from the tank 3 when the needle-valve 5 is moved into an open position will strike a sharp dividing edge 8" at the junction of -the feed-tube branches 8 and will run into both ends of the fixed spindle 10 and from thence through the admission-ports 10 into the outer ends of the cylinders formed by the rotary hub or sleeve 15. Under the rotary movement of the said hub the cam-pins 29, acting on the cam-grooves 28,will reciprocate the pumppistons 16 in reverse order. When the pistons 16 move outward, their check-valves are opened, so that the motive fluid, which is at this time a liquid, is forced through the passages 31 to the inner ends of the cylinders. Then under the inward movement of the said pistons the large check-valves 32 are forced open,and the liquid is forced through the feedpassages 14, into'contact with the slightlyseparated points of the electrodes 42. As the pistons operate in reverse order, a continuous flow of the combustible liquid is afiorded. This combustible liquid is ignited by pro ducing'a spark between the electrodes, and the said liquid is then converted into a gas, which rushes violently out through the radial passages 13 into the attenuated chamber 18, formed between the propelling-plates 17 of the rotary cylinder-forming hub or sleeve 15. From the chamber 18 the expanding gas mixed with steam formed from the water in termixed with the combustible fluid rushes outward through the ports 40 and between the propelling-plates 17, 34, 35, 37, and 38, taking the various paths indicated by the arrows marked on Fig. 2, and finally is exhausted at very low pressure through the exhaust-parts 40. In taking the courses indicated by the said arrows marked on Fig. 2 the expanding gas causes the hub or sleeve 15, with its propelling-plates 17, 34, and 35, to rotate in one direction and the rotary case or shell 19, with its propelling-plates 37 and 38 and sheave 21, to rotate in the opposite di rection. In this connection attention is called to the fact that the hub or sleeve 15 is limited in its speed of rotation by the resistance offered by the pump-pistons 16, which are reciprocated thereby. In fact, the pumps act in a sense as governors. When the driving resistance put upon the case 19 and sheave 21 is increased, so as to decrease the speed thereof, the hub member 15 will tend to run at a higher rate of'speed and to correspondingly increase the speed of the pumps; but the increasing resistance ofiered by the pumppistons will increase the base of reaction for the engine.

The above is my theory of the operation.

That I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is as follows i 1. The combination'with a rotatable member carrying means for transmitting power, of a second reversely-rotatable member freely rotatable with reference thereto, a pump for supplying motive fluid carried and actuated having pistons working within the hub ofthe inner member, means for sliding said pistons on said spindle under the rotary movement of the'said inner rotarymember, means for 15 supplying motive fluid to the ends of said spindle, and from thence to the pumps, and means for transmitting power from the outer rotary member, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature 2c in presence of two witnesses.

MICHAEL BECK.

Witnesses:

ANNE'S. READ, F. D. MERCHANT. 

